The 10 Biggest References to the Hudson Valley, NY, in Pop Culture, Music, and Movies in 2011

2. Suburgatory’s Imaginary Suburb

The show begins with an overprotective father moving his daughter out of the big, bad city and into Chatswin, a fictional town with a 914 area code (read my initial reaction here). In order to make it a true fish-out-of-water tale, though, Suburgatory indulges every opportunity to make the metro suburbs appear as Stepford-y as possible. Matt Zoller Seitz nails it in Salon: “The ‘typical suburb’ we’re seeing bears little relation to any ‘typical suburb’ anywhere in 21st century America that I’ve ever visited. The hedges and lawns are immaculate. Almost every resident is white. The high school is immense, its facilities handsome and new. The men are mostly metrosexual fussbudgets, one of whom is a strapping blond dude who hangs out by a swimming pool with a Bluetooth device clamped to his ear. All the women look like they’ve been recently exfoliated and tanned in a booth, and both mothers and daughters have implants... I don’t think this show is about what it says it’s about. I think it’s really about a privileged entertainment industry family that makes a mint with a successful show, moves to Beverly Hills and hates it at first, but ultimately fits in fine.”

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Marisa LaScala

Elmsford, NY

Associate Editor Marisa LaScala joined Westchester magazine in 2003, and ever since she's blown every paycheck at the Greenburgh Multiplex. She also staunchly defends Richard Kelly, doesn't mind spoiling the endings of trashy movies you're curious about but don't want to pay to see, wishes the Hold Steady would come back and rock out Westchester, misses Arrested Development more than anyone can imagine, and still watches cartoons and Saturday Night Live. You can find more of her cultural criticism atwww.popmatters.com, where she is a staff writer.